EHR Scope had some time to catch up with Ingenix’s Kim LaFontana about the recent announcement of Ingenix’s independent physician advisory board. The purpose of the board is to “design solutions that will meet real-world needs.” Kim was very thorough in describing the challenges and successes of the current electronic health records industry and Ingenix’s ONC-ATCB certified CareTracker EHR solution.

“Using technology in your office should not impede your cash flow, should not slow clinicians down and it should not prevent you from having information. It’s a radical change to your world and the workflow, but what our teams have been focusing on, as we have introduced CareTracker EHR— is how to do it in a way that actually works for the physician and makes them feel like they are delivering better, more efficient care”. –Kim LaFontana

CHICAGO, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ — Allscripts (Nasdaq: MDRX) announced today that Allscripts Professional™ EHR, Version 9.2 is 2011/2012 compliant and was certified as a Complete EHR on Sept. 30, 2010 by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®), an Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB), in accordance with the applicable eligible provider certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The 2011/2012 criteria support the Stage 1 meaningful use measures required to qualify eligible providers and hospitals for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Additionally, the company announced that Allscripts ED™, Version 6.3 Release 4, and Allscripts PeakPractice™ Version 5.5 are both 2011/2012 compliant and were certified as EHR Modules on Sept. 30, 2010 by CCHIT, in accordance with the applicable hospital and eligible provider certification criteria, respectively, adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

“This certification of the first group of Allscripts Electronic Health Records for mid-sized physician groups and for Emergency Department physicians demonstrates the significant progress we’ve made in certifying our entire portfolio of acute and ambulatory EHRs, all of which we’ve committed to complete before the end of the year, well in advance of when our clients will need the ARRA stamp of approval,” said Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts.

Mr. Tullman continued, “The Federal incentives for EHR adoption represent an unparalleled opportunity for healthcare organizations to bend the curve on healthcare quality and cost. We believe our ARRA-certified products – coupled with our experience delivering meaningful value for tens of thousands of physician practices and hospitals across the country – make Allscripts an ideal organization to partner with as we create the future of healthcare together.”

The ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification program tests and certifies that Complete EHRs meet all of the 2011/2012 criteria and EHR Modules meet one or more – but not all – of the criteria approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for either eligible provider or hospital technology. Companies offering ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certified EHR modules may return to test additional criteria and certify their products as Complete EHRs later. Companies certifying products early in the ONC-ATCB certification process must quickly adapt their products to meet the evolving nature of the NIST test procedures, particularly for electronic prescribing. ONC-ATCB product certification updates will be available at http://www.cchit.org as they occur.

“CCHIT is pleased to be testing and certifying products so that companies are now able to offer these products to providers who wish to purchase and implement certified EHR technology and achieve meaningful use in time for the 2011-2012 incentives,” said Karen M. Bell, M.D., M.S.S., Chair, CCHIT.

2011/2012 certification conferred by CCHIT does not represent an endorsement of the certified EHR technology by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services nor does it guarantee the receipt of incentive payments.

Allscripts (NASDAQ: MDRX) provides innovative solutions that empower all stakeholders across the healthcare continuum to deliver world-class outcomes. The company’s clinical, financial, connectivity and information solutions for hospitals, physicians and post-acute organizations are the essential technologies that enable a connected healthcare community. To learn more about Allscripts, please visit www.allscripts.com, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

About CCHIT

The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) is an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the public mission of accelerating the adoption of robust, interoperable health information technology. The Commission has been certifying electronic health record technology since 2006 and is approved by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as an Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB). More information on CCHIT, CCHIT Certified® products and ONC-ATCB certified electronic health record technology is available at http://cchit.org.

About ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification

The ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification program tests and certifies that EHR technology is capable of meeting the 2011/2012 criteria approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). The certifications include Complete EHRs, which meet all of the 2011/2012 criteria for either eligible provider or hospital technology and EHR Modules, which meet one or more – but not all – of the criteria. ONC-ATCB certification aligns with Health Information Technology: Initial Set of Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology published in the Federal Register in July 2010 and strictly adheres to the test procedures published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at the time of testing. ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification conferred by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) does not represent an endorsement of the certified EHR technology by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services nor does it guarantee the receipt of incentive payments.

“CCHIT®” and “CCHIT Certified®” are registered trademarks of the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology.

Ingenix is back in the news with recent CCHIT certification under ONC-ATCB meaningful use guidelines. As more companies are certified and the EMR/ EHR market begins to settle; larger players like Ingenix stand with an advantage. Over the next several months, we will be blogging about specific characteristics that make the most- recent versions of each record system competitive. With this in mind, we thought we would take a more in-depth look at what Ingenix’s EMR software, CareTracker, offers its subscribers. Continue reading: In the News: An Overview of Ingenix CareTracker EMR

Electronic prescribing is a replacement of the traditional method used by physicians to manually write down the medications for patient. This application allows health practitioners to electronically send a prescription directly to a pharmacy of patient’s choice. Transfer of information is done over a secure network that ensures privacy of individuals and rapidly connects the physician’s computer to the pharmacy.

E-Rx also allows physicians to access patient’s prescription drug benefits information and their prescription medication history. Now patients can avoid visiting the healthcare facility for prescription refills as electronic prescribing allows a pharmacist to send an electronic renewal request to physicians when patients run out of refills. Continue reading: Error reduction and efficiency through E-prescribing (E-Rx)